The New Ducati Panigale Is a Four-Cylinder Screamer

Ducati is known for one very peculiar engine type: The 90-degree V-twin, a layout the Italian bike maker has used exclusively for decades. Those days are over. Meet the all-new Panigale V4, the top-of-the-line superbike that uses a four-cylinder engine for the first time in production Ducati history.

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Ducati

Replacing the legendary 1299 Panigale, the new top-dog Ducati brings plenty of tech and engineering from the MotoGP Desmosedici to the street. The new Desmosedici Stradale engine displaces 1103 cc, with four valves per cylinder and, of course, a desmodromic valvetrain. With a counterrotating crankshaft, the engine cranks out 214 hp at 13,000 rpm and 91.5 lb-ft at 10,000 rpm.

Ducati

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The innovations don't end there. Ducati gave the new superbike data recording capabilities, an ABS system that allows for controlled slides and only acts on the front brake during cornering, and a quick shifter mechanism for upshifts and downshifts.

The new bike comes in three models: Panigale V4; V4 S (a few pounds lighter); and V4 Speciale, an even lighter model making 226 horsepower thanks to an Akrapovic titanium exhaust, with a unique three-color livery. Only 1500 of the top model will be produced.

This may mark the end of V-twin superbikes at the top of the Ducati lineup. But looking and sounding like this, we're okay with that change.

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